Gina met with Fr. Kit Bautista, a Jesuit priest assigned in Miarayon. Fr. Kit mentioned the idea of setting up a school for the young children in the area. Gina’s initial reaction was to decline, not wanting to impose on the community.
In 1999, a year after Gina’s visit, Sta. Teresita Pre-School was established, run by three Talaandig teachers. It was the result of forged partnerships. Gina’s friend, Gigi Go, and the community of The Learning Child School provided initial teacher training and financial support. Additional early support came from Gina’s friends, who later became the first members and incorporators: Nanette Lorenzo-Santos (who coined the name Cartwheel), Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng, Frances Yuyucheng, Ria Nunez, Noey Lopez, Felipe Alfonso, Maricel Genzola and Joey Cruz. Together, they helped pave the way for Cartwheel to take root and grow into what it is today.
Fr. Kit responded swiftly by calling a community meeting that same day. During the gathering, village leaders openly shared their concern: their children were eager to learn but had no place to begin. As a longtime admirer of Mother Teresa, Gina felt compelled to do her part—her own small drop in the ocean. So she said yes.
That simple yes would become the seed of a shared journey in education, rooted in community and hope.
Over the years, that seed bore lasting fruit: college graduates returned to their respective communities, serving as teachers, youth organizers, and formators to the next generation of scholars. Pre-school alumni excelled in the parochial high school. Parents took active roles in the education of their children.
For these efforts, Cartwheel was recognized in July 2003 by former President Corazon Aquino as one of the 20 NGOs of the People Power People Movement for bringing “health, livelihood, education and hope” to Indigenous Peoples.
In June 2006, Cartwheel contributed to the establishment of an Indigenous Peoples College called Pamulaan Center for Indigenous Peoples Education in Mintal, Davao City. Together with partners University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP), ILAWAN Center for Volunteer and Leadership, Assisi Development Foundation, Office of Senator Ramon Magsaysay Jr., and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Region XI, Pamulaan provides college education to IPs who dream of an educational program rooted in their life, culture, and aspirations as a people.
Moreover, the cycle of sowing and reaping that marked the success of the Miarayon model has taken root in other partner indigenous communities, such as the Kalanguya of Ifugao, Dumagat of Nueva Ecija, Umajamnen of Cabanglasan, Bukidnon, Higaonon of Agusan del Sur and Bajau of Lucena. This same spirit of giving and receiving enables Cartwheel to sustain its current programs with the Tagbanwa of Culion, Palawan, Bajau of Zamboanga City, Sama-Bajau in Parañaque City, among others. As true partners in the development process, these communities continue to work alongside Cartwheel to co-create programs that reflect their unique contexts, cultures, and aspirations.
Today, more than two decades after its first partner community articulated and responded to its aspirations, Cartwheel continues to grow in both depth and breadth. It does so through culturally relevant, rights-based and resilience-focused education programs for young learners, their duty bearers and their wider communities.
Giving and receiving—these have shaped Cartwheel’s journey over the years. Rooted in collaboration, empowerment, and co-ownership, these ongoing exchanges continue to guide its work and fuel its commitment to serving more indigenous communities in meaningful and sustainable ways.
